Human Papilloma viruses, also called HPVs, make up a group of over 100 related viruses
that infect people.
Most HPVs can cause common skin warts, usually on the hands or feet.
However, about 40 types of HPV affect the genitals, which are the sex organs on the
outside of the body.
These HPVs cause the most common sexually transmitted infections, illnesses transmitted
from one person to another through sexual activity.
Some genital HPVs are low-risk and may only cause warts on and around the genitals and
anus of both women and men.
Rarely, these HPVs can also cause warts inside the mouth and throat.
Other genital HPVs are high-risk.
They can lead to cancer of the lower end of the woman’s uterus called the cervix.
Less commonly, these HPVs can lead to other genital, oral, or anal cancers in both women
and men.
It’s important to know that most HPV infections cause no symptoms and the low-risk genital
HPVs that cause warts are not an important cause of cancer.
People infected with either a high-risk or low-risk genital HPV spread it through skin-to-skin
contact during vaginal, oral, or anal sex.
For infection to occur, HPV enters through tiny cuts in the skin around or inside the
penis, vagina, throat, or anus.
The virus makes it way down to the cells in the bottom or basal layer of skin and infects
them.
As the infected cells divide, the virus begins to make copies of itself.
Eventually, the infected cells move up through the skin layers, releasing new viruses that
can spread the infection to other cells.
For most people, the cells of the immune system can destroy the infected cells along with
the virus within two years, but in some people, the immune system isn’t able to destroy
all the viruses, leading to an infection that doesn’t go away.
HPV-infected cells may multiply over several weeks or months.
If the cells are infected with low-risk HPV, they begin to form warts around the genitals.
If the HPV is high-risk, it may damage the cells’ genetic material, causing the cells
to become precancerous.
Over a period of years, a cancerous tumor may slowly form as the damaged cells continue
to multiply.
The most common cancer from high-risk genital HPV is cervical cancer.
There is no cure for any type of HPV infection; however, the Gardasil vaccine can help protect
against two of the most common high-risk HPVs that cause genital cancers.
The vaccine also helps protect against two of the most common low-risk HPVs that cause
genital warts.
For best protection, pre-teen girls and boys should receive three doses of the vaccine
over a period of six-months before any sexual activity takes place.
The vaccine injects dead proteins from HPV viruses into the bloodstream.
These proteins don’t cause infection, but the proteins do stimulate certain immune cells
to create markers called antibodies that can identify these HPVs.
Later, if the live version of these viruses invade the skin, these antibodies recognize
and attach to them.
These immune cells destroy the marked viruses, which prevents an infection from happening.
It is important to note that the vaccine does not protect against other types of HPV not
included in the vaccine.
The vaccine also doesn’t reliably treat cells that are already infected.
High-risk genital HPVs that cause cervical cancer are most treatable when diagnosed early.
Women should have a PAP test to see if their cervix has abnormal or precancerous cells
even if they’ve had a HPV vaccine.
Check with a healthcare provider to find out how often to get this test.
During this procedure, a healthcare professional will collect a small sample of cells from
the cervix.
These cells will be examined under a microscope to see if they’re abnormal or cancerous.
A separate HPV test will look for genetic material from high-risk types of HPV.
When a PAP test and HPV test are done together, it’s called contesting.
If these tests show abnormal cells, a healthcare provider will recommend specific treatment
based on the woman’s age, medical history, and the abnormality of her cells.
While there is no cure for an HPV infection, both abnormal and cancerous cells can be treated.
Some types of HPV can cause common skin warts or genital warts.
The warts may go away without treatment as the immune system fights off the HPV infection.
If the warts are painful or don’t go away, visit a healthcare provider, so they can examine
the warts to determine the best way to remove them.
Although you can treat common warts at home, do not treat genital warts yourself.
Procedures to remove either common warts or genital warts include freezing with cryotherapy,
burning with an electric current called electrocautery, or by surgical removal.
For more information, talk to a healthcare professional.